WAG, Arts Community Mourns Lynne Cohen

The Winnipeg Art Gallery joins the arts community in mourning the loss of Montreal-based photographer Lynne Cohen. Cohen lost her battle with lung cancer Tuesday, May 13, 2014. She was 69 years old.

“The arts community has lost a true treasure today. Lynne Cohen led a full and prolific career spread over four decades and the WAG feels incredibly privileged to have worked with her and reveled in her tremendous character and passion for her work,” comments WAG Director & CEO Dr. Stephen Borys. “Our thoughts are with Andrew Lugg, her partner, and her family and friends during this time.”

Lynne Cohen (1944 – 2014) was an American-Canadian photographer. She lived and worked in Canada since 1973, initially in Ottawa, and in Montreal since 2005. In 2005, she was the recipient of the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts.

She was known for her photographs of domestic and institutional interior spaces, which have included living rooms, public halls, retirement homes, laboratories, offices, showrooms, shooting ranges, factories, spas, and military installations. Despite this interest in living and working spaces, Cohen's photographs are usually devoid of human presence. With her larger, more recent work, Cohen allows the viewer the sense of entering the environments themselves. Beneath her seemingly banal subject matter are themes of irony, surveillance, humour, and social and political criticism.

The Winnipeg Art Gallery is a cultural advocate – a lens and forum – helping people see and experience more through art. Playing a vital role in the community, engaging and enriching people of all ages and backgrounds through art and culture, the Winnipeg Art Gallery thrives as a creative, innovative, and accessible place for learning, discovery, and inspiration.